Governor-drum drive for printing presses



Jan. 10, 1956 H. w. HUFFMAN 2,729,982

GOVERNOR-DRUM DRIVE FOR PRINTING PRESSES File d April 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. HAROLD W. HUFFMAN BY W AT ORN Jan. 10, 1956 H. w. HUFFMAN 2,729,982

GOVERNOR-DRUM DRIVE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed April 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

HAROLD w. HUFFMAN '%.3 BY

AT ORN 12,729,982 GOVERNOR-DRUM DRIVE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Harold W. Huffman, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor to The Hamilton Tool Company, Hamilton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio 1 Application April 16, 1954, Serial No. 423,731

8 Claims. (Cl. 74--395) This invention relates to a governor-drum drive for printing presses.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, highly effective governor-drum drive for printing presses the rotational speed of which may be selectively varied and accurately controlled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a governor-drum drive for printing presses which may be quickly adjusted whereby to correlate the rate of rotation of the governor-drum, also known as the pay-off drum, of a printing press relative to the rotational speed of the printing cylinders for compensating for differences in the thickness of the paper being fed through the printing press on different jobs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a governor-drum drive which is powered by the same drive means utilized to rotate the printing cylinders of a press.

Another object of the invention is to provide a governor-drum drive having the hereinabove described characteristics and which may be readily associated with existing presses for greatly enhancing their operating characteristics and efficiency.

These and other objects are attained bythe means described herein and as disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the paper feeding end of a conventional printing press, provided with a governor-drum drive embodying the teachings of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the governor-drum drive mechanism of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line.3-3 of Fig. 2.

At the outset it should be noted that with the advent of high speed rotary-type printing presses the overall thickness of the paper web becomes critical, and unless properly compensated for, will result in unsatisfactory performance of the press. Heretofore various techniques have been utilized in an effort to compensate for webs of varying thickness, the most common being that of providing one or more layers of thin paper around the outer face of the governor-drum for thereby slightly increasing its effective diameter whereby to compensate for the thickness of the paper being run through the press.

The subject drive enables an operator to positively, simply and very accurately control the rate of rotation of the governor-drum relative to therotational speed of the printing and impression cylinders for any thicknesses of paper.

The exact center of a web of paper is considered its pitch line, and as the sheet thickness increases the pitch line is displaced farther from the outer surface of the governor-drum over which it passes, thereby resulting in a higher lineal speed of the pitch line for a given rotational speed of the drum. The speed of rotation of the printing and impression cylinders of a press are uniformly constant, wherefore the precise rate of feed of paper to the printing and impression cylinders becomes critical. The thicker the sheet or web, the slower the 2,729,982 retreated Jan. 10, 1956 rate of rotation of the governor-drum, and, conversely, the thinner the thickness of the sheet, the faster the rate of rotation of the governor-drum relative to the rotational speed of the printing cylinders.

With particular reference now to Fig. 1, the numeral 10 denotes generally atypical or conventional drive shaft which is suitably powered for imparting uniform rotational speed to each of the various printing and impression cylinders 12 and 14, it being understood that in Fig. l I have illustrated only the first frame, 16, of a plurality of frames, each provided with printing and impression cylinders.

The numeral 18 denotes generally a gear box inwhich the rotary motion of shaft 10 is converted into rotary motion of gear 20 which meshes with an idler gear 22 in driven relationship with the impression cylinder 14 which in turn drives printing cylinder 12.

It should be clearly understood that the present invention is neither concerned with nor directed to the particular means by which cylinders 12 and 14 are rotated, the drawing being exemplary, rather than restrictive, in this respect.

With reference now to Fig. l, the numeral denotes generally a governor-drum or pay-off drum the purpose of which is to feed a strip of paper 11 from a suitable supply roll (not illustrated) to the cylinders of the printing press.

Means for imparting uniform tension to the paper web is interposed between the supply roll and governor-drum. In Fig. 1 I have illustrated a typical tensioning device which may include rollers 13 and 15 journaled on shafts 17 and 19, respectively, which span a pair of laterally spaced standards 21, and a roller 23 journaled in shaft 25 which spans a pair of laterally spaced levers 27 which are pivotally mounted to the standards as at 29. One end of a flexible connector 31 is secured to the upper portion of lever 27, the other end terminating in an abutment 33 for enabling weights 35 to be removably associated therewith for normally urging the lever in a counter-clockwise direction about pivot 29. Rollers 37 and 39 are provided for connector 31, as illustrated.

The lower end of the lever is secured to a brake rod 41 as at 43, it being understood that the said rod is operably connected to a suitable braking mechanism (not illus trated) for controlling the rotation of the supply roll of paper. Movement of lever 27 in a clockwise direction will result in a braking force being applied to the supply roll, whereas a counterclockwise movement results in a brake releasing action.

The amount of tension thus applied to web 11 is a function of weight 35. After having been properly tensioned, the web may be led under rollers 47 and 49 of a cat walk 51, thence over a guide roller 53 to the governor-drum 39.

As best illustrated in Fig. 2, the governor-drum is secured to and carried by a rotatable governordrurn shaft 32 suitably journaled, as at 34, on side frames 16, whereby the drum will be rotatably mounted between a pair of laterally spaced duplicate side frames or standards 16.

A pinion sleeve is rotatably journaled on shaft 32 such as, by way of example, by means of bushings 42, whereby the sleeve may be freely rotated on the shaft. A gear 44 is secured to, carried by and is in fixed driving relationship, by means of a key 46, with drum shaft 32.

A control gear is journaled on sleeve 40 by means of a bearing 52, which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, is a commercially available seal-type of bearing. The control gear carries a shaft 54 to which planetary gears 56 and 58 are journaled, as by hearing 60. Suitable means, such as, by way of example, a face key 62, is provided for positively interlocking the gears for unitary rotation. The first planetary gear 56 is in driven relationship with pinion 64 of the pinion sleeve 40,

whereas planetary gear 58 is in driving relationship with drum-shaft gear 44'.

Suitable means, such as gear 70, keyed as at 72 to pinion sleeve-40, is provided forimparting-rotary motion to the pinion sleeve for thereby imparting what will hereinafter be referred to as a normal rotational speed to drum-shaft 32 via pinion 64, planet-gears- 56, 58 and gear 44, and with, control gear 50' stationary.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention a cage 80 having cylindrical side walls 82 and an end wall 84 is secured to and carried by control gear 50 such as by means of bolts 86 End wall 84 is journaled on the outer endof shaft 32 by means of a seal-type bearing 8'6,

whereby the cage will house; planetary gears 56, 58, pin'- ion 64, gear 44 and a portion of drum-shaft 32.

A If desired, a transparent plate 88 may be secured as by means of screws "90 to the end wall of the cage for enabling an operator to quickly ascertain the height of lubricant within the cage. The numeral 92 denotes a filler plug.

n The numeral- 100 denotes a drive gear for control gear 50,- it being noted that rotation of the control gear in the same direction as pinion sleeve 40 will increase the rate of rotation of drum-shaft 32 over its normalrotational speed; and conversely, rotation of the control gear in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of pinion sleeve 40'will decrease the normal rotational speed of the drum-shaft.

If desired, suitable speed control of the governor-drum may be obtained by utilizing the control gear to selectively 'to Fig. l, the numeral 102 denotes a commercial variable speed transmission such as,"by way of example, a Graham vari-speeddrive, interposed between drive shaft 10 and drive gear 100, wherein gear 100 is secured to output shaft 104 and input shaft 106 is connected via a positive acting, flexible, endless drive member 108 to drive shaft 10.

Fromthe foregoing, it will be noted that gears 50 and 70 are literally powered or driven from common drive means 10. r

In the preferred embodiment of theinvention each of gears 64, 56, 58 and 44 have the same pitch diameters, however planet gear 56 has a greater number of teeth than the pinion 64; planet gear 58 has fewerteeth than planet gear 56, but more teeth than pinion 64 and the same number of teeth as gear 44.

In those instances in which it is desirable or necessary to decrease the speed of the governor drum below its normal rotational speed, all an operator need do isadjust dial 1100f the variable speedtransmission. whereby to 4 the cage for altering the normal rotational speed imparted t6 the drain shaft ware said drive means;

2. A governor-drum comprising, in combination, a rotatable governor-drum shaft, a pinion sleeve journaled on said shaft, a gear secured to, carried by and in driving relationship with the drum shaft, a control gear journaled on the pinion sleeve, a pair of interlocked planetary gears jour'hal'ed" one common shaft secured to andv carried by the control gear for disposing one of the planet gears in driven relationship with the pinion of the pinion sleeve and for disposing the other planetary gear driving relationship with the drum shaft drive gear, means for rotating the pinion sleeve, and means for rotating the controlgear to alter the normal rotational speed imparted to the drum shaft by rotation of the pinion sleeve.

3. The combination of claiin 2, wherein the pitch diameter of the pinion and the planetary gears are the same, but wherein thenumber of teeth in the pinion is less than the number of teeth in the planetary gear which it drives, and wherein the number ofteeth of the other planetary g'ear' isless than the number of teeth of the first mentionedpl'anetary gear.

4. The combination of claim 2, wherein the pitch diameter of thepinion of-the pinion sleeve and the two planetarygearsare the same, but-wherein the number of teeth in the pinion is less thanthe numberof teeth of the planetary gear driven thereby, and wherein the number of teeth of the other planetary gear is less than the number of teeth of the first plahe'tary gear and greater than the number ofteeth of the pinion.

gears is the sarhe,- but wherein the number of teeth in thepinion' is'lesstlian thenumber oftee'th of the planetar'y gear 1 driven thereby, wherein the number of teeth of the other planetary gear'is the same as the number of teeth of the" drum shaft gear driven thereby, and wherein the last'mentioned number of teeth is less than the n'urnbero'f teeth of the'iirst planetary gear and greater than the number of teeth of the pinion. '6. The combination of claini 2, wherein a cage is secured toaiid cariied by'the control gear, said cage housing the planetary gears and that portion of the drum shaft between its end and the means for rotating the pinion neeve; r r

7. The'coiiibihationof clairii'Z, wherein a cage including cylindrical side walls and an end Wallis secured wand earned by'the control gear for housing the planetary gears, druni shaft earand the end of th'e'drurn shaft, and means to journal the end wall of the cage on the end of the drum shaft;

8. Th'c'oriib atioliofclaim 2, wherein the means for rotatingitne control geafiiicliides a speed reducer, and wh the said speed re cei" andlthe'means for rotating th p'inion' sleeve are powered from a common drive means.

utterances Cited antheme or this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS 

